A month into the war with Iran, the Israeli military has almost completed bombing all of the targets it defined for itself at the start of the conflict, and has now been ordered by Israel’s political leadership to shift to hitting “economic” targets of the Iranian regime, The Times of Israel learned on Monday.
Israel launched its campaign against Iran, alongside the United States, to degrade the regime’s military capabilities, distance threats posed by Iran — including its nuclear and ballistic missile programs — and “create the conditions” for the Iranian people to topple the regime, the military and other Israeli leaders have said.
The Israeli Air Force has conducted hundreds of waves of strikes in Iran, dropping over 13,000 bombs on Iranian regime and military sites, including air defense systems, ballistic missile launchers, weapon production sites, some nuclear facilities, and various headquarters.
Israeli strikes have also killed dozens of top Iranian officials, including former supreme leader Ali Khamnieni, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Mohammad Pakpour, and many other senior military commanders.
On Saturday, IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said that “within a few days” the military would complete targeting all of the “critical” assets of Iran’s military production industries, sites used to develop weapons that threaten Israel. The military has also said it has taken out most of Iran’s ballistic missile launchers and air defense systems.
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Israel’s defense establishment is now in what it described as the “completion phase” of the goals it set out at the start of the war, meaning it believes it has largely achieved its objectives of degrading Iran’s military capabilities and “creating the conditions” for the Iranian regime to fall, The Times of Israel has learned.
Members of the Basij paramilitary force stand at a checkpoint in Tehran, Iran, March 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
While Israel has carried out several strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities during the current conflict, as well as in the 12-day war in June 2025, the effort against the Iranian nuclear program is being led by the US. This includes the issue of Iran’s stockpile of over 400 kilograms of 60 percent enriched uranium, which Israeli officials say is enough for 11 nuclear bombs.
The Times of Israel has learned that the defense establishment believes that the Iranian weapon production capabilities have been severely degraded, setting Iran back years. The goal of “creating the conditions” for the Iranian regime to topple has also been achieved “above and beyond,” according to the defense establishment, although it still remains unclear when, or if, the Iranian population will rise up against its oppressive government.
As the IDF has almost completed bombing all of Iran’s weapon production sites, Israeli leaders, including Defense Minister Israel Katz, have ordered the military to carry out strikes on targets that cause economic blows to the Iranian regime.
An Israeli Air Force fighter jet in central Israel amid a war with Iran, March 29, 2026. (Nati Shohat/Flash90)
This included a strike on major Iranian gas infrastructure in the country’s south nearly two weeks ago, and strikes on two of Iran’s largest steel factories on Friday. In both cases, Israel aimed to cause massive economic damage to the Iranian regime, according to security sources.
Unusually, the IDF did not comment on either strike.
Last week, US President Donald Trump threatened to target Iranian energy sites, giving Iran a deadline of April 6 to agree to an American proposal to end the war. As such, Israel has also agreed to suspend strikes on energy infrastructure in Iran, and instead has targeted other sites that cause economic damage, such as the steel plants.
The Times of Israel has learned that additional such strikes against Iranian economic targets are planned by Israel’s defense establishment, aimed at causing even more damage to the regime.
In addition to the strikes on Iran’s nuclear program, the US is also leading the effort to reopen the key Strait of Hormuz, with recent reports suggesting the US has been preparing options for ground operations in Iran. According to Israeli defense sources, the IDF has provided the US with intelligence regarding the strait and nearby islands, including Kharg Island.
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